A Desert Kill by Collin Baker-Williams

Book excerpt: Collin Baker-Williams is a struggling writer who is down-on-his-luck. He has a passion for fiction and a flair for the written word. He also has a bad habit. He makes up stories that come true. Out of work and desperate for money, Collin agrees to free-lance for a two-bit magazine. His assignment: A twenty-two year old murder where five men were gunned down in an old, abandoned diner in Owens Valley, California. After hearing the gruesome details of the crime from gruff, old Sheriff Terry, and believing the case was unsolved, Collin decides the story is worth writing, but something is missing. The story needs a killer. So he simply makes one up, creating an elaborate tale of fate, brutality, and the ultimate revenge. "A Desert Kill" gets published and becomes popular, especially in Owens Valley where his mythical killer becomes a legend. But an ex-cop named Janus is out to expose the story as a fraud, and after some twists and turns, the three men are thrown together on a three-day search of the rugged Sierra-Nevada Mountains. But they are not alone in the mountains, and a whiff of smoke from a distant campfire takes them on a chase for an elusive hiker who leads them into the treacherous High Country, and also leads them to believe Collin's killer really exists.